Oakmont hockey team nets first win

ASHBURNHAM -- The Oakmont/Narragansett co-op ice hockey team was desperate for a win.

After having opened the season with back-to-back losses, the Spartans knew they couldn't stumble to their third straight defeat.

The Spartans played outstanding hockey for the first two periods, getting two goals from sophomore forward Gage Duteau, before fending off a hard-charging Lunenburg/Ayer-Shirley team in the final period for a 3-2 Coughlin Conference victory Saturday evening at Cushing Academy's Iorio Arena.

"We came in 0-2 but we played two really good squads in Leominster and Nashoba," Oakmont coach Ryan Carney said. "We couldn't get out of the gate against either of those two teams, so it was nice to get a jump start tonight. We got out early 2-0 and did a good job of putting pucks in the net."

Oakmont improved to 1-2 and 1-1 in the Coughlin, while the Blue Knights are 1-1-1 (0-1).

"Oakmont outworked us in every dimension of the game in the first two periods," Lunenburg coach Eric Short said. "They outshot us, outworked us, beat us to pucks, better goaltending, ... the whole nine yards."

Down 3-0 heading into the final period, the Blue Knights awoke and made a game of it.

Only 4:47 into the third, Tom Wagner lit the lamp, assisted by Dan Baldino, to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Under a minute later, Lunenburg crept back to 3-2, as senior forward Pat Brennan rifled a wrister from the left circle that zipped by Oakmont goalie Marcus Dion for a power-play goal at 5:32.

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Baldino and Dan Hughes assisted on the goal.

"When we had our backs to the wall, down 3-nothing, we played like we should have played the whole time," Short said. "If we played like that all three periods, it probably would have been a tied game."

Dion kept the Blue Knights at bay the rest of the game, however, including making a sparkling save on Baldino with just under three minutes left to give the Spartans their first win of the year.

"I think we got comfortable, sat back and let them come to us," Carney said. "But I think our guys did a good job in the end of holding on."

Oakmont couldn't have started any better, as it built a impressive 2-0 lead after the first period.

Only 31 seconds in, the Spartans struck for the game's first goal. Oakmont crashed in hard on Lunenburg goalie Alec McNamara, and after the goaltender made the first two stops, Duteau deposited the rebound tally into the back of the net. Chris Davis assisted on the goal.

The Spartans continued to impress in the first period, outshooting the Blue Knights 8-3.

"We really needed to jump on someone early," Carney said. "They did a good job early. We got a lot of pressure early."

At 4:51, Oakmont went up 2-0. On the power play, Kyle Klahe sent a perfect pass from the side of the net to teammate Peter Moorshead, who ripped a one-timer from the slot past McNamara.

Lunenburg, having not played in a week, settled down in the second period and played solid, but had nothing to show for it.

"We definitely were flat, but it's all mental," Short said. "If you can come out in the third period all fired up, why can't you come out in the first period? If I had the answer to that, I'd probably be 20-0 every year."

The Blue Knights' Will Figueria and Brennan each had strong shots on two separate power plays, but Dion -- a former junior hockey player from Oakmont who decided to come out for the team approximately two weeks ago, according to Carney -- stood strong to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.

"We're glad to have him," Carney said.

Oakmont cashed in to steal the period away from the Blue Knights, as Duteau scored his second goal of the evening off a rebound on the far post, assisted by Cam Klahre, at 14:19 for a 3-0 cushion.

Oakmont's defense, led by Jeff Correia, Jared Paradise, Billy Gochis and Kolby Beauvais, was outstanding in the first two periods, allowing only nine shots to reach Dion.

"My defense played a hell of a game the first two periods," Carney said. "They did an outstanding job."

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